The relics of the holy Martyr Paraskeva are located in the Athens area, which is called "Paraskevi", in a temple dedicated to her name. She was born into a noble Roman family around 130, during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, when belonging to the Christian Church was considered a crime. The girl's parents, Agathon and Politia, lived childless in marriage for many years, so they dedicated the child they had in their declining years to the Lord in gratitude to Heaven. They called for skillful mentors for the upbringing and education of her daughter, and, inspired by the good example of her parents, after their death she distributed her inheritance to the poor. At the age of twenty, she entered the monastery of Christian virgins — a semblance of future monasteries — where she devoted herself to the service of God. Having succeeded enough in her spiritual life, she left the community and began to preach on the streets of Rome.
Paraskeva was so full of God's grace and so burning with spirit that, according to hagiographers, many people turned to Christ just after hearing her sermon. It is quite obvious that she was a strong personality and influenced many, as the Roman authorities pursued her with irrepressible energy. She managed to escape persecution only by moving to Asia Minor, where she continued to preach in what is now Turkey. Finally, she was captured in Therapy by soldiers of Emperor Anthony Pius (138-61). She was accused not only of insulting the gods, but also of being the cause of all the misfortunes that happened to the empire at that time!
Paraskeva was brought to trial before Emperor Anthony, who first tried to persuade her to renounce her faith, and when she refused, ordered her to be imprisoned and tortured. The daily tortures turned out to be fruitless, every morning the guards found her in good health again and again, without any signs of torture, on the contrary, she was cheerful and cheerful, as if nothing had happened. Seeing this, the ruler ordered her to be thrown into a cauldron with boiling resin, oil and water. Before his eyes, she was immersed in this boiling mixture up to her neck, but she behaved as if the liquid was barely warm. He thought that it was all his soldiers' fault, their sloppy attitude to the case, and began to scold them. He demanded that Paraskeva splash some of the mixture on him. She obeyed and splashed her palm on him. The boiling tar and oil blinded him. He began to beg her for help, promising to become a Christian if she would restore his eyesight. She left the cauldron, went to the nearest spring and, after praying, washed his eyes with spring water. His eyesight returned to him, after which, as promised, he was baptized and stopped the persecution.
Paraskeva returned to apostolic activity, but during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, the successor of Emperor Anthony, she was again taken into custody and this time beheaded on the orders of the heir to the throne Tarasius on July 26, 180. Later, her relics were transferred to Constantinople, and during the Population Exchange in 1922, some of them ended up in Athens.